CAMDEN — Just one out of every seven students in the Camden school district have shown in standardized tests to be proficient in math and English, according to city and education officials.

Camden Superintendent Paymon Rouhanifard addressed the latest test scores in Camden during a press conference at Octavius V. Catto Community School on Monday, stating, "We can and must do better." Rouhanifard said the district will in the coming weeks begin formal reviews of all of the city's schools — including district, charter and renaissance — ahead of taking whatever action officials see necessary.

"We will take action," he said. "They will not be easy decisions to make, but incremental progress is not enough."

Rouhanifard later added, "We will not be the thriving city we want to be until the greatness of our schools matches the greatness of our students."

The state Department of Education released test scores from the New Jersey Assessment of Skills and Knowledge (NJASK), for grades 3 through 8, and the High School Proficiency Assessment (HSPA), which gauges 11th-grade students' readiness for college, on Nov. 5.

According to the results, only 21 percent of students in district schools who took the NJASK showed proficiency in English language arts, whereas only 31 percent were proficient in math.

Charter school students on average faired about twice as well on the NJASK, with 44 percent testing proficient in English language arts and 59 percent showing proficiency in math.

However, both district and charter students fell below the 2014 state average for the NJASK — 66 percent proficiency for English language arts and 75 percent proficiency in math.

On the HSPA, 57 percent of high school juniors in district schools tested proficient in English language arts, while just 25 percent were proficient in math.

The 2014 HSPA state average is 93 percent and 79 percent proficiency for English language arts and math respectively.

Addressing the gulf between the scores of district students and their peers attending charter schools, Rouhanifard said he wouldn't "draw any conclusions" regarding the worth of one learning environment over the other.

However, he acknowledged a point made by many in the past, that charter schools may not "reflect the same diversity" as the rest of the district.

"The number of students who are English language learners, and children with disabilities, at charter schools may be lower than the rest of the district," said Rouhanifard. "We just want to make sure charter schools are serving all students."

Camden Mayor Dana Redd, addressing the press conference, maintained that while the numbers are discouraging, the changes made in the district since Rouhanifard's appointment by Gov. Chris Christie in August 2013 have represented progress.

"It's only been a year since (Rouhanifard) came to the district," she said, adding, "We are not done implementing our strategic plan. It is still a work in progress.